Ron Galella Mysterious Cause of Death: Paparazzo Extraordinaire Dead at 90
Ron Galella, Hollywood's Paparazzo Extraordinaire, has died. He was 90.
A post on his official Facebook page confirmed the news, saying that the renowned photographer passed away on Saturday morning at his home in New Jersey.
It also shared a photo of Galella taken in July 2021 inside his New Jersey home.
"Until his very last hours he was doing what he loved the most in life, sharing his work," the post went on.
His representatives also confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter but reported that the photographer was already 91 at the time of his passing.
Following the revelation about his death, his fans left comments on his Facebook page while others paid tribute through other social media pages.
One said, "His photographs were incredible, the best. And one of my favorite possessions is a signed print of Windblown Jackie, along with several signed copies of his books. He had a great eye."
Ron Galella's Legacy Remembered
As the Godfather of the US paparazzi culture and the "Paparazzo Extraordinaire," Galella famously worked with several A-listers in the industry and worked with them during his six-decade of a career in photojournalism.
Among the artists and notable people he took pictures of included John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Princess Diana, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, and Andy Warhol, to name a few.
Out of all the pictures he took, he chose "Windblown Jackie" as his favorite despite the fact that it infuriated the First Lady.
"It's a superior picture, like DaVinci's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. It embodies all the qualities of my paparazzi approach: exclusive, unrehearsed, off-guard, spontaneous, no appointments - the only game," he wrote in 2021.
In 1979, he told The Post that Jackie O was his favorite subject, saying that he had to be 25 feet away from her due to the restraining order imposed on him.
However, he was caught breaking it four times, leading him to be fined and ordered not to take pictures of Jackie and her children.
Aside from Jackie O, he got sucker-punched by Brando and lost five teeth after following him in Chinatown.
Despite his infamous history, he still had some renowned fans, including Warhol. The late American artist said that Galella was his favorite photographer of all time.
Eventually, he and his wife launched the Ron Galella Ltd. Corporation to protect his photo library.